I Will Provide For You
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
The promises of God continue to amaze me. We have looked at the promise where He says, “I love you.” We have looked at the promise where He says, “I am with you.” Now we look the promise where God says, “I will provide for you.” Our text comes from Philippians 4:19.
19 And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.
I have been privileged over the years to receive cards that would have this verse printed or written inside along with a much needed monetary gift. The gift would always come at a time when I was worried about an unexpected bill that I had and was concerned how I would pay it. I have also been able to share a gift to others both from the church and personally where I would write out Philippians 4:19 and try to encourage someone by meeting a financial need. I am so grateful for those times in which I was able to receive as well as give to meet a financial need. However, I want to show you today that this verse is much, much more than meeting a financial need. An expanded look at this verse in the context of the Book of Philippians shows us that Paul had been ministered to greatly by the Philippians. They had supplied him with finances, food, and hospitality as he ministered to that church. Paul assures them that their work would be rewarded and thus shares with them this important verse.
Paul personalizes the relationship he has with God. “And MY God will meet all your needs.” God is personal and those that know Him can call Him my God. Paul is telling the Philippians that just as his God has met his needs, God will meet their needs as well. God never changes. As a result, what He has done for others, He will do and has done for us. God will not fail to meet your needs because He is and has been faithful in meeting the needs of others in the past. However, the emphasis is not just a single need. We mentioned that this verse is associated with financial gifts which is interesting because there is no mention of just financial gifts here. If we were to define the provision God provides, we would see that what is meant here is that God will supply in a glorious manner all that is needed. So what kind of needs will be supplied? All of them. Whatever the deficiency we have, God will supply the remedy. One writer stated, “He who is my God will not disappoint you in the full supply of whatever need you have.”
The provision that is provided is designated to meet all your needs. Its source is “according to God’s glorious riches found in Christ Jesus.”
33 Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!
How unsearchable his judgments,
and his paths beyond tracing out!
What God has done for us in Christ Jesus demonstrates His full wealth of revelation and redemption. We get all God has because Jesus gave all He had.
Jesus is the Giver and Mediator of all spiritual blessing.
However, over the years, we have distorted our needs and wants. We think our need is based on some name it and claim it theology and the truth of the matter is that is far from its original meaning. Someone once said that money can’t buy you happiness but it sure does help give you better choices. What if we saw this promise as something bigger than just a financial gain? I know folks that have all the money they need, but are far from having other needs met. Contentment comes when all of our needs are met and we have adequate resources. I want to share with you this morning that our of our resources come from the providence of God. What if we saw this verse in light of three distinct needs that God will meet for us? When God says, “I will provide for you,” we can be assured that God will provide for us peace, protection and purpose. Let’s look at these a bit further.
God Will Provide Peace
God Will Provide Peace
One of our greatest needs in humanity is the need of peace. There is great peace when we know our needs are met. Perhaps our greatest need, first and foremost, is we need to make peace with God. We are sinful creatures because of the fall of mankind in the Garden of Eden. As a result, sin continues to alienate us from God. However, God’s plan is that we have peace with Him through salvation in Jesus Christ and through Him we are justified through faith..
1 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
You and I can have peace with God by confessing with our mouth Jesus is Lord and believing in our hearts that God raised Him from the dead. That is the starting point for all peace.
When we have peace with God, we recognize the fact that God has made us in His image and therefore we should have peace with ourselves. One of the greatest needs that humanity has, is the need to be at peace with themselves. When one does not have peace, worry shows up and begins to wreck havoc in one’s life.
33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Jesus gave us the gift of peace which includes to be at peace with ourselves.
27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
Statistics show that when people are not at peace with themselves, they are not at peace with others. In fact, when someone is not at peace with themselves they will not be at peace with others. Why do you think Jesus said to love your neighbor as yourself?
19 honor your father and mother,’ and ‘love your neighbor as yourself.’”
We are to be at peace with others. Our country would do well to think about this right now.
17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. 18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.
11 Finally, brothers, good-by. Aim for perfection, listen to my appeal, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you.
The promise of God is that He will meet all your needs according to the glorious riches in Christ Jesus. This includes the promise of peace with God, self and others. It also includes the promise of protection.
God Will Provide Protection
God Will Provide Protection
Sometimes, just as we need peace with ourselves, God also provides protection from ourselves. Let me clarify what I mean. Often, our minds go down paths that are detrimental to ourselves. We tend to be our worst critic. Dear friend, you are made in the image of God. You are fearfully and wonderfully made. We need protection from any thought that tries to tell you otherwise.
20 You, however, did not come to know Christ that way. 21 Surely you heard of him and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. 22 You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; 23 to be made new in the attitude of your minds; 24 and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
You have to remember that if Jesus died for you, you are worthy! God will show you and deliver you in ways that will protect you from yourself.
He will also protect you from strife. A couple of Proverbs come to mind about this.
3 It is to a man’s honor to avoid strife,
but every fool is quick to quarrel.
21 As charcoal to embers and as wood to fire,
so is a quarrelsome man for kindling strife.
The implication in both of these is that strife is something to avoid. Yielding to these verses help protect us from strife.
We also need protection the schemes of men and the schemes of Satan. There are those among us who work very hard to get us caught up in a scheme.
27 “I know full well what you are thinking,
the schemes by which you would wrong me.
This is not God’s plan for us, to be caught up in some scheme of man or some scheme of the devil. In fact, we have multiple verses that encourage us to be prepared.
7 Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him;
do not fret when men succeed in their ways,
when they carry out their wicked schemes.
When was the last time you were still before the Lord? Sara wrote a great devotional about that a few weeks ago in our newsletter.
We are also told to equip ourselves in such a way that we are prepared for this battle!
11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.
This goes into the next point. God will meet our needs by providing protection against Satan. The accuser that he is longs to do just that, accuse and blame.
1 Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right side to accuse him. 2 The Lord said to Satan, “The Lord rebuke you, Satan! The Lord, who has chosen Jerusalem, rebuke you! Is not this man a burning stick snatched from the fire?”
Even Jesus had to deal with Satan and did so by standing firm on the Word of God.
10 Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’”
God has met our needs by providing us protection from self, strife, schemes and Satan. Why? Because God meets another of one of our very basic needs and that is the need to have purpose.
God Will Provide Purpose
God Will Provide Purpose
Isn’t just like God to show us that we were made for a reason? There is purpose in your very being. You and I are called, as Romans 8:28 says, according to His purpose. There is much to be said about this, but actually I am going to take this verse and develop it more next week. However, as I hear that verse, I am reminded that I exist on purpose. I am not an accident. I am not a mistake. I am not an “oops” and neither are you. You exist and your being has purpose!
You also have purpose in believing. First and foremost, we see in Romans 10.
9 That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.
God meets our needs by giving purpose in believing.
As a result, God meets our needs in giving us purpose in belonging.
My mother seems to like to introduce me to others as the one that was her smallest baby. Out of her four children, I am the one that was the smallest when I was born. Now, I am her biggest. My dad used to get a gleam in his eye when he would introduce me as his son. I have always been proud to be my mother’s smallest baby and my proud father’s son. There is no doubt I belonged to them. When Paul says, “And my God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus,” He is also saying I have purpose in belonging. The greatest purpose that you and I can ever have, is belonging. The greatest belonging we can ever have, is to know that our name is written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.
1 “To the angel of the church in Sardis write:
These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. 2 Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your deeds complete in the sight of my God. 3 Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; obey it, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you.
4 Yet you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes. They will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy. 5 He who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels. 6 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
God has already met every need you have. Have you allowed Him to write you name in that Book?